By Jumah Kakomo
National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential candidate, Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has cautioned sections of the population in Iganga District who continue to ignore government wealth-creation programmes, saying they risk remaining in poverty while others who embraced the initiatives prosper.
Addressing an NRM presidential campaign rally in Iganga District, Busoga Sub-region, President Museveni highlighted several success stories from wealth creators in Iganga, Kamuli, Abim, Lira and other districts who have transformed their livelihoods through government programmes.
Museveni rallied subsistence households in Iganga to emulate the 4-acre model, and fully utilize government wealth-creation funds, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Programme, and Women Empowerment Funds, which he said are key pillars in the country’s poverty-alleviation strategy.
He directed NRM leaders in the district to intensify guidance on the party ideology, noting that only the NRM has the capacity to transform Uganda. He asked voters to re-elect him and all NRM flag bearers in the 2026 General Elections.
Museveni emphasized the need for households to prioritize wealth creation, explaining practical pathways through commercial agriculture for both small and large-scale landowners. He recommended sugarcane growing for those with large tracts of land, while advising small landowners to focus on intensive, high-profit agricultural ventures.
The NRM candidate also outlined the growth of job opportunities in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT, urging residents to tap into these expanding sectors. He particularly pointed to employment emerging from industrial parks in Mbale, Namanve, Mukono, Jinja and other areas.
Museveni announced that government has fully secured funds to tarmac the Iganga–Bulopa–Kamuli road, a project he said will complement existing road networks and boost smooth movement of goods and services for socioeconomic transformation.
He also revealed plans to scale up clean water distribution in Iganga District—currently at 77% coverage—alongside expanding electricity access and other infrastructure.
The President criticized the uneven distribution of government primary schools after discovering that 99 government schools were allocated to only 31 of the 42 parishes, contrary to the policy of one primary school per parish and one secondary school per sub-county. He pledged to address the gaps in line with government policy.
Museveni further committed to upgrading more health facilities in the district and emphasized the need to fully actualize free universal education, warning that unofficial school charges threaten children’s futures. He cited the success of the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs as proof that free education is viable and impactful.
The NRM Presidential candidate also recalled the historical role Iganga District played in Uganda’s liberation struggle.
NRM’s first national vice chairperson, Alhaji Moses Kigongo, called on party members in Iganga to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2026 General Elections. The NRM vice chairperson for Eastern Region, Calvin Echodu, commended Museveni for a successful campaign trail, sentiments echoed by the party’s director for communication and public relations, Emmanuel Dombo.
First Deputy Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga urged the electorate to continue entrusting the NRM government with steering development and wealth-creation programmes. She also highlighted key priorities for consideration in the next term of office.
The Iganga District NRM Chairperson, Walubi Abubakar, presented the district status report during the event.
